Detroit motor show: Hyundai Blue-Will

This is the Hyundai Blue-Will, a plug-in hybrid concept that is being shown outside Korea for the first time at today's Detroit motor show.

The Hyundai Blue-Will show car uses a non-turbocharged version of the 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol engine first seen in the Hyundai ix-onic concept at this year’s Geneva show. It's coupled to a 100kW electric motor and the power is fed through a CVT gearbox.

Electric power is stored in a lithium ion polymer battery back which features battery technology similar to that used in the new Korean-market Hyundai Elantra hybrid, a first for this type of energy storage in a mass-production vehicle.

The Blue-Will concept also uses bio-plastics derived from plant material for the engine cover and parts of the interior, while its headlamp bezels are made from recycled plastic. The sunroof is also a solar panel that helps to power the car’s ancillary electric systems.

A spokesman for Hyundai said, “All the technology behind the Blue-Will concept is viable and, even though there are no plans for a production version, it shows where we’re going with our hybrid technology.”